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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Going to A and E for tooth pain?

77 replies

Legobla123 · 01/12/2022 19:50

I'm in the worst pain ever! I am unable to get a dentist at the minute and 2 months ago I was given a temporary root canal 4 days ago it started hurting again to got an emergency dental appointment and they gave me antibiotics these started to work and had no pain yesterday today however is horrendous and odly I'm having to put cold water on my tooth to take the pain away momentarily it has now got to a point the water isn't working and I'm dancing about in agony! Ive rang the emergency dentist back and got an appointment for 8:45am tomorrow but the thought of getting thru tonight with this pain is awful! I'm in work till 10pm would it be unreasonable for me to go to AandE when I finish would they be able to do anything or do I just not sleep all night and wait it out. Does anyone have any siggestions? Besides my antibiotics I've tried cocodamol Ibuprofen paracetamol orajel and clove oil and nothing it's not even taken the edge off :( if it wasn't a front tooth id have tied a piece of string to it it's that bad!

OP posts:
BakedTattie · 01/12/2022 19:54

if you call 111 they will get you in to your closet dental hospital as an emergency

BakedTattie · 01/12/2022 19:54

I’ve been in your place. Root canal on my front big tooth. The pain was awful. You have my sympathy. But call 111

Crazycrazylady · 01/12/2022 19:58

Awful op but not one for a&e... I feel for you though. It's excruciating

GetOffTheRoof · 01/12/2022 20:00

What medication do you currently have in your system?

Phone 111 if you don't have an OOH dentist helpline number in your area.

Huge sympathy, it's the worst pain. I'm a nightmare with dental abscesses and tend to push my luck with Paramol swilled down with alcohol. Very unwise, but the only thing that works for me.

olympicsrock · 01/12/2022 20:02

I’m a doctor. You need either out of hours GP or A and ze to prescribe some very strong pain relief overnight.
this is an emergency and they will give you some morphine

SofaLofa2022 · 01/12/2022 20:03

You have my every sympathy but sorry - absolutely NOT one for A&E, that's ridiculous. Especially if you're at work now - you can't just say "I'll go to A&E after I've finished work".

Unwellchild325 · 01/12/2022 20:04

Severe uncontrollable pain (no matter the cause) is an A&E trip if 111 can't find a dentist for tonight.

JaninaDuszejko · 01/12/2022 20:05

DH has gone to A&E for toothache before and they just told him to see an emergency dentist.

Original poster
Legobla123 · 01/12/2022 20:10

i'll ring 111, i've never experienced pain like this i'd rather give birth again than this! I know i sound ridiculous by saying "when I finish work" I thought out of hours dentist only run till 10pm so i doubt i'd get an appointment now :(
i currently have taken cocodamol and ibuprofen in the last 1.5hrs and its not helped in the slightest

OP posts:
chickywoo · 01/12/2022 20:13

A&E will do nothing for you, sorry to say, but you are better In agony at home with home comforts while you wait for tomorrow’s appt than in a & e waiting room,
take ibuprofen then 2 hrs later take cocodomol do this on repeat max of 3 times each. should get you through till the morning. hopefully when antibiotics kick in will slightly help too
toothache is worse pain ever 😔

fifteenohfour · 01/12/2022 20:13

I went to a walk in for tooth pain and said at the time I was considering A+E initially. The nurse practitioner said that A+E don't do teeth and wouldn't even look at me or prescribe anything.

It's a shit predicament. Because emergency dentist are a postcode lottery some will have you in straight away (within 12 hours of first 111 contact) but other you will wait for 72 hours in agony.

The walk-in prescribed me strong co-codamol and I remember taking two sleeping tablets after it to knock me out. It was hell.

From the pharmacy try ibuprofen with codiene and then get some night nurse.

Cazs818 · 01/12/2022 20:15

Unfortunately a&e will turn you away they don’t deal with dental

gamerchick · 01/12/2022 20:19

A&E will turn you away. You're better going to a supermarket for some oragel.

Pixiedust49 · 01/12/2022 20:23

I suffered horrendous toothache during lockdown. I got through with a mixture of clove oil, nurofen plus and the odd slug of brandy. Never known pain like it.

user764329056 · 01/12/2022 20:24

I remember pacing my front room all night with tooth pain, thought I was going to pass out, as you say would rather give birth, you have my sympathy OP and all you can really do is count down until your appointment, I ended up setting off from home at 5.30am to walk 5 miles to dentist surgery to be on doorstep when they opened, walking felt like it was a tiny distraction from the pain

negomi90 · 01/12/2022 20:25

I'm a doctor, I can't prescribe for teeth. I'm not qualified to assess and treat it, or know what's wrong or if something's being missed. I can't give painkillers to pain I don't understand.
It sucks, I'm sorry, but the way the system is set up I'd be risking my GMC number for it.
If you worried about infection or abscess you may be able to get sent to maxfax (who are dual qualified, dentist and doctors) but depending on the hospital, maxfax may not see you out of hours or even be there out of hours. For pain alone I wouldn't risk it, unless you live next to a huge teaching hospital (but I still wouldn't risk it).
This is outside of the fact that A&E shouldn't be giving out strong pain meds as take home medications due to other's drug seeking behaviour. If you can do it for a real toothache, someone else will do it for fake a toothache. They don't send you home with pain meds unless theirs a good physical reason (broken limb, x condition with y treatment which is planned).

BettyOBarley · 01/12/2022 20:25

I've had horrific toothache where I was literally screaming in pain and the only thing that touched it was Paramol (paracetamol and dyhydrocodeine). It's in a black box from the pharmacy if you know of one still open.
Obviously check re the meds you've already taken.

YukoandHiro · 01/12/2022 20:40

Sorry but a&e won't do anything.

Out of hours pharmacy for the strongest possible over the counter painkillers to get through the night

ChocHotolate · 01/12/2022 20:48

I would probably give you oramorph as a one off dose just to get you through the night (A&E nurse practitioner)

Purplelion · 01/12/2022 20:48

You need some paramol. That and 30mg or codeine got me through horrendous toothache recently. What strength codeine have you been taking?

LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet · 01/12/2022 20:49

My DH went earlier this year as it’s a maxiofacial issue. He had emergency surgery. Go!

LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet · 01/12/2022 20:50

YukoandHiro · 01/12/2022 20:40

Sorry but a&e won't do anything.

Out of hours pharmacy for the strongest possible over the counter painkillers to get through the night

This isn’t true at all. It’s a potential infection in your head of course they will help

Darkstar4855 · 01/12/2022 20:52

I’m an A&E doctor. We wouldn’t be able to treat the underlying dental problem but we would sort you some pain relief to tide you over until you saw the dentist.

GetOffTheRoof · 01/12/2022 20:53

LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet · 01/12/2022 20:50

This isn’t true at all. It’s a potential infection in your head of course they will help

Show quote history

Not so. They don't have dentists in the hospital. MaxFax won't be interested as it's a dental problem in the remit of a normal dentist.

I ended up in A&E when an infection blew I to my face and I swelled up like a balloon. They gave me painkillers and sent me home. I was already on antibiotics, we thought it might be an allergic reaction but it was the infection spreading. They couldn't have been less interested.

LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet · 01/12/2022 20:54

GetOffTheRoof · 01/12/2022 20:53

Not so. They don't have dentists in the hospital. MaxFax won't be interested as it's a dental problem in the remit of a normal dentist.

I ended up in A&E when an infection blew I to my face and I swelled up like a balloon. They gave me painkillers and sent me home. I was already on antibiotics, we thought it might be an allergic reaction but it was the infection spreading. They couldn't have been less interested.

Show quote history

Well my DH got surgery 🤷‍♀️ maybe it’s a postcode lottery.